FARMINGTON — The Select Board has approved hiring a landscape architect to develop a master plan for the town’s largest cemeteries.
The board authorized the town manager to sign a landscape master planning agreement with David Maynes Studio, a landscape architecture and design firm in Kennebunk, to assess Fairview Cemetery, document its layout and develop a master plan with design alternatives.
Farmington lists 23 cemeteries on its website, but most are small family plots or no longer accept new burials, including the Center Meetinghouse Cemetery near the Franklin County Courthouse. The largest active cemeteries are Riverside and Fairview, which sit on opposite sides of Farmington Falls Road.
An association controlled Riverside and Fairview until 2008, when it dissolved and transferred ownership to the town.
Last summer, Fairview drew local attention after a 600‑foot section of brick wall along High Street was demolished. A masonry expert had determined the mortar was too deteriorated to salvage, but the removal sparked debate over what should replace the wall, how to incorporate trees and vegetation and the roles of the Farmington Historical Society, the Conservation Commission and residents in shaping the site’s future.
In August, the board approved installing a line of granite hitching posts connected by iron chains to replace the missing wall, at a cost of less than $20,000 from the Cemetery Association Trust. The hitching post option was far less expensive than constructing a new wall — masonry estimates topped $200,000, and even basic chain-link fencing was projected at about $24,000.
Additionally, the hitching post concept had the support of the historical society, which pointed to photographs of similar posts, complete with horses, along Broadway in the early 20th century.
State law requires cemeteries to have clearly defined boundaries, but it is not clear that they must be enclosed by a physical barrier, such as a wall or fence.
Last week, Philip Hutchins, director of the Farmington Public Works Department, presented the Select Board with a proposal to develop a master plan for both cemeteries — “to put everyone’s vision on one piece of paper.”
The plan would outline elements, such as landscaping, pathways and potential new walls or structures, which various town stakeholders could then pursue for grant funding. Hutchins noted that making improvements without a comprehensive plan can be risky; for example, trees often cause long‑term damage to gravestones.
Hutchins said there is local interest in forming a cemetery committee to help oversee the town’s burial grounds.
Select Board Chairman Matthew Smith agreed that the cemeteries have no current master plan. While Fairview has some documentation on old index cards, there is not even a comprehensive map of Riverside.
“Something like this is needed,” Smith said. “I’m glad to see they’re going to do it.”
The landscape architect hired by the town, David Maynes, designed the current layout of Walton’s Mill Park on Temple Road. Those improvements replaced the pond that was drained after the old dam was removed.
Maynes is proposing $6,450 to develop the master plan, along with a list of reimbursable expenses. At Hutchins’ recommendation, the Select Board approved spending up to $8,000 from the Cemetery Association Trust to cover the potential total cost.
At the end of December, the trust’s account showed a balance of $552,200.
Hutchins also recommended putting the hitching post plan on hold until the master plan is completed. The posts had not yet been ordered, he noted.
“I like the idea of the hitching post, but I think we should wait until we see what the overall thing looks like,” Select Board member Dennis O’Neil said. “I don’t think we’re in any rush.”
The Select Board also reviewed two other projects: the ongoing reconstruction of the Farmington Community Center and the upcoming Main Street improvements.
The board approved 11 change orders for the Community Center project totaling $83,000. The orders were submitted to the town in early November but had not been brought to the board for a formal vote. The work covered by the orders has already been completed.
The primary driver behind the change orders and the delayed reopening was the discovery of steel beams embedded in the concrete of the 70‑year‑old Community Center. The finding cost the project three months while designers revised the plans to match the building’s actual structure.
“The existing conditions were very different than anyone understood,” Thad Gabryszewski, an engineer with Lincoln/Haney Engineering Associates Inc. of Brunswick, told the Select Board.
The discovery of steel inside the masonry had some advantages, Gabryszewski said, including allowing for a simpler plan to attach the new roof structure to the beams. However, it also required time to redesign the plans and modify the steel superstructure for the replacement roof.
The change orders include items tied to later design decisions, such as installing security cameras, and costs to update building documentation using surveyors and ground‑penetrating radar.
The change orders do not include a few additions needed to provide lateral support to the beams. Those designs are still being developed by Lincoln/Haney Engineering Associates so Sheridan Construction Corp. of Fairfield can complete the project.
“It’s cold comfort, but these are actually small issues compared to what other existing buildings have had that folks have worked on,” Gabryszewski said.
Hutchins estimated that with the change orders, the project may end up roughly 12 percent over budget. He called that “reasonable,” noting that major reconstruction projects can easily exceed 30 percent.
Before meeting with representatives from Lincoln/Haney and Sheridan Construction, the Select Board approved spending $22,000 to install a heat pump in the lower bathroom foyer area. Existing ductwork would be adapted so the unit could heat most of the downstairs, including the kitchen and mechanical room.
Jennifer Savage, director of the Farmington Parks and Recreation Department, said three bathrooms on the lower floor cannot be connected to the system because of intervening concrete. She said electrical heaters will be a cheaper way to keep those spaces warm. The system also does not include the upper foyer area.
The heat pump will replace the building’s old furnace‑boiler system and the iron piping that once ran throughout the structure, which would have cost $200,000 to replace.
The Select Board’s review of the Main Street project was comparatively brief, with Hutchins reporting only a couple of smaller changes to the $1.5 million project planned for later this year.
A utility pole is to be installed on the Hippach Field side of the fence that runs along Main Street, and an underground conduit will supply power to the field facilities.
The plan will eliminate the utility poles that run between Main Street and the wall. Hutchins noted that those poles are badly worn and also create obstacles when crews clear snow.
The wall will include granite‑inlaid rectangular openings to maintain some visibility of the field. It will also feature concrete balls like those atop the existing structure.
Select Board Vice Chairman Richard Morton expressed concern about leaving a sidewalk outside the wall, both for safety and for ease of winter maintenance.
Hutchins said the walk probably would not be maintained in the winter, and certainly not after storms, given the department’s existing workload.
The street’s sidewalk system would still meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements as long as there is a connected path, and the opposite side of Main Street will have a 5‑foot sidewalk.
“Sounds like a good project,” Select Board member Scott Landry said.
